HEXVESSEL - Dawnbearer (DIGIPAK CD)

Hexvessel is the work of Mathew "Kvohst" McNerney, as being 'a holy body or host carrier of spectres, magic spells and rituals'. The debut release, Dawnbearer is spiritual rite of passage, an attempt to re-awaken the inner self and reach enlightenment through the powers of psychedelic folk music. Channeling and confronting demons of the past, from a strict Catholic upbringing, to his formative years living in Norwegian Lapland and cutting his teeth singing for Satanic Blackmetal bands. With an installed appreciation of 60s Canterbury folk from his childhood growing up England, Negro Spiritual Church hymns mix with themes of the occult, Crowleyan magick and Haitian voodoo.

Inviting select underground artists to participate on the record, he collaborated with Norwegian dark tango/folk musicians from Krugers Medbragte and Jaime Gomez Arellano from experimental avant-prog bands such as Mothlite, Guapo & who has previously carried out production work on Miasma And The Carousel of Headless Horses and Ulver. The album also features a guest vocal performance by Carl-Michael Eide aka Czral from progressive rock weirdos Virus and original hand-drawn artwork by Finland's godfather of doom, Albert Witchfinder.

A personal and intensely dark trip of unusual compositions, using organically recorded instruments such as sawblade, harmonium, zither, gongs, harp, mellotron, mandolin and bandoneon. Otherworldly folk, with an uncanny, haunting resonance that will undoubtably surprise fans of McNerney's past work with Blackmetal bands such as D_dheimsgard and Code. For admirers of Changes, Woven Hand, Espers, Midlake & Comus.